Docetaxel and Capecitabine for First Line Treatment of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head & Neck

Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
* Recurrent/metastatic disease not amenable to surgery or salvage chemoradiation.
* Unidimensional measurable disease according to the RECIST
* In-field recurrence, within a prior radiation field only, distant metastatic disease
* Both in-field and metastatic sites of disease will require evaluation by a Radiation Oncologist to consider local radiation therapy first and will be eligible for possible enrollment one month after completion of the radiation therapy.
* Negative pregnancy test
* Patients may have received prior chemotherapy as part of chemoradiation or induction chemotherapy for initial treatment of disease confined to the head and neck region - Patients must have fully recovered from any prior radiation therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who have relapsed \< 6 months after completing a combined modality curative treatment that included a fluoropyrimidine or taxanes
* No brain metastases
* No major neurological disease, including stroke
* No prior chemotherapy regimen for recurrent/metastatic disease
* No prior history of capecitabine usage
* No prior history of docetaxel usage except in the induction setting for head and neck cancer which has been completed for greater than 6 months prior to beginning protocol therapy
* No past hypersensitivity to taxanes or 5 FU
* No hypersensitivity to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
* No current use of warfarin
* Patients must not be receiving ketoconazole, midazolam, erythromycin, orphenadrine, troleandomycin, cyclosporine or antiepileptics
* Patients must not be treated with any of the following on protocol therapy or within 28 days prior to beginning protocol therapy: sorivudine, brivudine, cimetidine, allopurinol
* Patients must have fully recovered from any prior surgery
* No known HIV seropositivity.
* No serious uncontrolled medical condition, uncontrolled peptic ulcer disease or malabsorption syndrome
* No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1
* Patients with a percutaneous gastrostomy (PEG) must be able take medications by tube.
* No daily consumption of alcohol
* No active infection
* No prior history of malignancy in the last 5 years, excluding in situ carcinoma of the cervix or adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or Gleason Grade \< VII organ confined prostate cancer.
* No current breastfeeding